Victory, Oh victory to the Sun God, Who is the lamp to the seven worlds, Who by His rays destroys sin, Who destroys aches and sorrows, Who is lead to by the path of Vedas, Who is the Sun God to the universe, And Who is saluted by all the worlds, And also my salutations to Him who makes the day.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

A Lesson in Faith

A Lesson in Faith

Chinna Kistna Saheb was very devoted to Vishnu from his boyhood. Even from his younger days, he used to sit for long in one asana yogic posture) meditating on his chosen deity. This went on till, in his twenty-first year, (about 1910), he had three successive dream-visions in one night. At first he experienced his separation from his physical body and before him was the divine form of Lord Vishnu. A second time the same vision recurred but this time there was someone else standing beside him. Lord Vishnu pointed to that stranger and said, 'This Sai Baba of Shirdi is your man; you must resort to Him." In the third vision he again left his physical body and drifted in the air to some village.

There he saw someone and asked him for the name of the village and was told that it was Shirdi. Then he enquired whether there was a holy man by name Sai Baba in that village. The stranger led him to a mosque where Chinna Kistna saw Sai Baba seated leaning against its wall with his legs stretched before Him. On seeing Chinna Kistna, Sai Baba got up and said, "Do you take my darshan? I am your debtor. I must take your "darshan" and placed His head reverently on Chinna Kistna's feet. Then the vision ended. Though he saw Sai Baba's picture earlier, he never knew that Sai Baba's most characteristic manner of sitting was with His legs stretched out before Him. Shortly after, Chinna Kistna went to Shirdi to verify whether Baba was his destined Guru as the dream seemed to indicate. When he actually saw Baba, a doubt arose in his mind whether it would be proper to worship a man like Him.

At once Baba said, "What do you worship a man for?" The rebuff was keen and to the point. When nothing more happened to confirm his dream Chinna Kistna was a bit dissatisfied. Later, in the afternoon, when every other devotee retired to his room, Chinna Kistna made bold to visit Sai, though it was thought that no one should visit Baba at that hour. Baba, far from getting angry, beckoned to him. Chinna Kistna approached Him and bowed in reverence. At once Sai Baba hugged him with love and said, "You are my child. When others (i.e., strangers) are present, we (i.e., saints like Me) keep off the children." Thus was the man's dream confirmed.

On another afternoon Baba embraced him and said, "The key of my treasury is now placed in your hands. Ask anything you want." "Then Baba", said shrewd Chinna Kistna, "I want this. In this and in any future birth that may befall me, You should never part from me. You always be with me." Baba patted him joyously and said, 'Yes, I shall be with you, inside you and outside you, whatever you may be or do."

There is one instance to show how, when Chinna Kistna's heart was yielding to some other love, Baba asserted His monopoly over it. Many years later, Chinna Kistna's child died and his wife was disconsolate. With the dead child in his lap Chinna Kistna sat on with a grief-stricken heart. Baba at once appeared before him and said," Do you want me or the dead child? Choose! You cannot have both. If you want me to revive the child, I will; but then you will have Me no more with you. If you do not ask for the revival of this one, you will have several children in due course.' Then Chinna Kistna said that he wanted Him only. "Then do not grieve", Baba said and vanished.

Another confirmation of his earlier dream-vision that Chinna Kistna was Baba's man: When he visited a great saint of Poona named Sri Madhava Nath, on seeing Chinna Kistna, at once said, "You are Sai Baba's Man."

In 1912 Chinna Kistna visited Baba on the holy Guru Purnima day. Seeing other devotees offering garlands and other gifts to Baba he realized how unfortunate he was in that he did not remember to get any gift to the saint. At once Baba said to him, "All these are yours!", and He pointed at the bundle of garlands offered to Him by other devotees. Thereby Baba hinted that the heart's loving desire to offer is of greater value than a formal physical offering.

He is Brhama, He is Vishnu,He is Shiva, He is Skanda,He is the progenitor of human race,He is the king of devas,He is Kubhera, the lord of all riches.He is Kala, the God of death,And He is the moon also He is Varuna

He is the manes, He is the Gods called Vasus,He is the gods called sadhya, He is the Aswini devathas, the doctors of Gods,He is the maruths who are responsible for breeze,He is the wind God, He is the fire God,He is the soul of all beings,He is the creator of seasons,And he is the giver of light.

He is the son of Adithi,He is the creator of the world,He makes us do things,He travels on the sky,He feeds the world by rain,He is the one with rays,He is the colour of Gold,He is always shining,He is responsible for creation,And he is the maker of the day.

He has green horses,He has thousands of rays,He rides on seven horses,He dispels darkness,He gives a pleasant life,He kills all life,He gives rebirth to those killed,He removes darkness,And he is resplendent in his glory.

He who keeps the golden source,He who cools down minds of devotees,He who bestows heat,He who is the source of light,He who is praised by every one,He who has fire within himself,He who is the son of adhithi,He who travels in the sky with pleasure,And he who melts cold.

He who is the lord of the sky,He who dispels darkness,He who is a master of Rig, Yajur and Sama veda,He who is the cause of heavy rains,He who is the friend of water,And he who travels over the Vindhyas swiftly.

He who gives heat,He who is of the global shape,He who is of the form of death,He who is of the colour of gold,He who heats everything,He who is in expert in knowledge,He who manages the universe,He who is of great brilliance,He who is dear to every one,And he who manages every event.

Salutations and salutations,To him who is fearful to the sinners,To him who is the hero,And to him who travels swiftly.Salutations to him who opens the lotus,And salutations and salutations,To him who makes men live.

Salutations to Him,Who is of the colour of molten gold,Who is of the form of fire,Who has created the world,Who destroys ignorance,Who is the subject of all that is loved,And to him who is the witness of the world.